Network Magic unveils the dark art of home networking. Not only
does it make handling a group of connected computers easy, it even
makes it fun. The beta version has featured in this column before
but the release of version 1.0 makes it worth another look. This
supports a larger number of network routers, so if the beta didn't
work, this well may.

Magic creates a map of all computers and devices on your
network, using friendly names instead of the usual horrifying
device identifiers. The beautifully designed interface gives
complete information about all devices and tips on using and
configuring them.

It lets you share files and folders with a click or two, pooling
all shared folders in a single location. It can fix broken internet
connections or, if it can't fix them, it will point you in the
right direction for troubleshooting. The software is just as savvy
about printers and digital media servers.

In version 1.0, Onfolio proved to be without peer as an internet
research tool. But it had a drawback: it only integrated with
Microsoft's vulnerable Internet Explorer browser.

Onfolio 2.0 now works hand in glove with the far superior
Firefox browser, while still providing IE integration. That change
alone would be enough to make Onfolio 2.0 a must-have application.
But there's much, much more in the new version.

The hottest new feature is support for RSS feeds - headlines
delivered to your desktop from news and financial services,
research sites and other sources. Onfolio automatically notices
when an RSS feed is available on a page and a click of a button is
all it takes to add the feed to your list. Your feed subscriptions
appear on the new Feeds tab in the Onfolio pane in your browser,
and a click on any subscribed feed renews the headlines. Click a
headline to see the full story.

As well as RSS support, there have been major additions and
improvements to both the way Onfolio captures and tracks website
information and in its ability to share and publish research you
collect on any topic. To top it off, Onfolio's performance has been
given a noticeable boost.

Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP a while
ago. Until recently, if you didn't want to upgrade your system and
install the service pack, you could do so easily.

Now, Microsoft has decided that we've all had long enough to get
our systems "SP2-ready" and, if your PC is set to auto update, it
will automatically start downloading the service pack when you're
online.

In almost all cases, SP2 is an update worth having. It makes
Windows XP considerably more secure and adds many improvements. But
it's a massive update, so unless you have a high-speed connection,
you may want to find another way to install it. It's available on
CD from the website above, or you can probably get a copy on CD
from a friend or neighbour.

If you don't install SP2, you'll find yourself locked out of new
and future security updates, which will require SP2's installation
first. So now's the time to bite the bullet.